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On a quiet Sunday morning in Belize City, the crack of gunshots shattered the calm just after 1 a.m., leaving a tragic outcome that has rocked the local community. Hours after residents reported the gunfire, law enforcement officers made a grim discovery: 23-year-old Christopher Smith Jr. lay dead from multiple gunshot wounds on Arlington Drive, his life cut short in a killing that investigators are now racing to solve.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith, staff officer for the department, outlined the details of the investigation in a statement to local media. “At approximately 7 a.m., police control received word that Smith’s body had been located on Arlington Drive,” she explained. “Responding investigators found an unresponsive body with clear gunshot injuries, and several spent bullet casings were recovered at the scene. Witness accounts place the shooting around 1:20 a.m., matching earlier reports of gunfire in the area, but first responding units were unable to secure the crime scene immediately after the shots were reported. The department has pulled surveillance footage from the crime fusion center, which has generated promising leads that investigators are actively following up on right now.”

Smith’s killing comes just months after a high-profile criminal case against him came to an abrupt end. In 2024, Smith was arrested and charged alongside two other men in connection with the double murder of cousins Marvin Cante and Juan Raymundo, whose remains were discovered in a shallow grave outside the village of Hattieville. But in a surprising turn last November, the Director of Public Prosecutions ordered all charges against Smith be withdrawn, and he was released from custody.

For his family, the young man who was killed was ready to turn his back on a troubled past and build a new, honest life. His grandmother, who raised Smith until he was five years old and remained a close part of his life into adulthood, shared that he had explicitly told her he planned to change his ways. “He told me that he was going to change his life. He said, ‘Grandma, I’m not living that life anymore. I’m going to get a job and do the right thing,’” she recalled. “I told him okay, son. His uncle was going to give him a job working as a baker, so he could earn an honest living.”

She remembered her grandson as a loving, helpful young man who frequently checked in on her. “Every time he came to visit, he’d say ‘grandma I love you so much. Granny you know how much I love you granny,’” she said. “I’d tell him yes grandson I love you too. Oh he’s always helpful. Always willing to do whatever I needed done. If I had fish to scale, he’d do it right away without being asked. That was just who he was.”

Smith was the son of a serving police officer, a detail that adds another layer of interest to the ongoing investigation. While he had prior interactions with law enforcement, investigators have not yet drawn a definitive connection between his killing and the 2024 double murder case he was connected to. Police stress that all possible motives are currently on the table as they work to identify and apprehend the shooter. “We have not been able to establish any confirmed motive,” ASP Smith noted. “This remains an active, ongoing investigation.”

Smith’s two former co-defendants in the 2024 double murder case are still scheduled to go to trial this coming October, as the Belize City Police Department continues its work to unravel the circumstances of Smith’s death. This report was prepared by Britney Gordon for News Five.

A devastating series of separate motorcycle collisions over a single weekend in Belize has claimed three lives, leaving three local families to cope with sudden, devastating loss and leaving law enforcement working to untangle the circumstances of each fatal crash. The victims have been identified as Elvin Chub, a 23-year-old volunteer soldier with the Belize Defense Force from Maya Mopan Village; Jaime Cattelan, 46, of San Marcos Village; and Patrick Chun. Investigations are still ongoing in all three incidents, with authorities already moving to hold parties accountable in two of the three cases.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith, a staff officer with the department, shared detailed accounts of each crash with local media. The first of the three incidents unfolded shortly before midnight on Friday, August 21, 2026, when police received an emergency report of a collision on the road between Duck Run and Billy White Village. First responding officers arrived on scene to find Cattelan unresponsive with severe, life-ending injuries. A damaged Lifan motorcycle, which investigators confirm Cattelan was operating, was found at the crash site. A second motorcycle, ridden by a man who has since been taken into police custody, was located off the main road with only minor damage. Early evidence confirms the crash was a head-on collision between the two motorcycles, Smith said.

The second fatal crash occurred at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 23, 2026, near Silk Grass Village. When officers responded to the emergency call, they found a multi-vehicle collision involving one motorcycle, a sport utility vehicle, and a commercial delivery truck. Chub, the motorcycle rider, was found trapped partially under the damaged front bumper of the SUV with critical, fatal injuries.

The third fatal crash took place at roughly 7:20 p.m. over the weekend, where investigators responding to a tip found a parked bus on the left side of the roadway with visible damage to its driver’s side. On the opposite right shoulder, officers discovered Chun’s Milium motorcycle, which had sustained catastrophic damage in the collision. Early investigative findings indicate Chun was attempting to overtake another vehicle when his motorcycle collided with the bus, resulting in injuries that proved fatal despite any potential emergency intervention.

Law enforcement has issued notices of intended prosecution for all three incidents as investigations continue to confirm fault and liability for the deaths. This report is based on a transcribed evening television newscast originally published by local Belizean media, with all statements from official sources retained in their original context for accuracy.

In a series of coordinated law enforcement actions across Belize City and Ladyville, local police have taken multiple unlicensed firearms and rounds of ammunition off the streets, resulting in criminal charges against five men. The operations, carried out between August 17 and August 23, 2026, were targeted at reducing street violence and stemming the flow of illegal weapons in the region, according to official police details released by Assistant Superintendent Stacy Smith, Staff Officer for the department.

The first operation unfolded just before 9 p.m. on August 17, when members of the Violence Prevention and Enforcement Unit executed a search at a Peter Street residence in Belize City. During the search, officers uncovered a black 9-millimeter Glock pistol, leading to the arrest and joint charges of unlawful possession of an unlicensed firearm against 20-year-old Gregoria Pitter and 19-year-old Aaron Pitter. Of the two suspects, Aaron Pitter has already entered a guilty plea and remains remanded at Belize Central Prison as he awaits his sentencing hearing.

Six days later, on August 23, Ladyville police carried out a court-ordered search of a residence located on Monterey Boulevard, belonging to 30-year-old Anderson Martinez. The search turned up a loaded black Remington pistol, with its magazine holding 14 live 9-millimeter rounds. Martinez now faces two separate charges: possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of unlicensed ammunition.

In a third incident in the St. Martin’s area of Belize City, personnel from the GH3 anti-crime unit encountered a speeding SUV shortly after 3:40 a.m. during a routine patrol. Officers pursued the vehicle and successfully intercepted it, and a subsequent search of the car uncovered a Smith & Wesson pistol. The vehicle’s owner, 33-year-old Lloyd Perchue of Croton Lane, Belize City, was taken into custody and charged with both unlicensed firearm and unlicensed ammunition possession.

The fourth and final arrest took place at the Belize City residence of 27-year-old Tyrese Gladden, located on Frederick Alley. A planned search of Gladden’s home yielded another 9-millimeter Glock pistol, loaded with a magazine holding 10 live 9-millimeter rounds. Gladden was formally arrested and charged on weapons possession charges following the discovery.

This report is a transcribed version of an evening television newscast, with all Kriol language phrases transcribed using a standardized spelling system for accuracy.

Authorities in San Pedro have disrupted two alleged local drug trafficking networks in back-to-back law enforcement operations, recovering more than two kilograms of a range of illicit controlled substances and taking four suspects into custody on drug trafficking charges, local law enforcement confirmed this week.

The first operation, carried out on August 18 by joint teams from the Special Branch and GI-3 anti-crime units, targeted 24-year-old San Pedro resident Marcus Tun. During a routine search of Tun following the stop, investigators uncovered a sealed manila envelope hidden inside his backpack. When opened, the envelope held nearly a kilogram of suspected crystal methamphetamine.

In an official statement confirming the seizure, Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith, who serves as a staff officer for the department, noted that the contraband was weighed directly in Tun’s presence, recording a final total of 932 grams of the illicit stimulant. Tun has since been formally arrested and charged with one count of possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply, a charge that carries significant legal penalties under Belizean drug law.

Three additional suspects face similar charges stemming from a second anti-drug raid carried out three days later, on August 21. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at a residential property in San Pedro’s Boca Del Rio neighborhood, where they uncovered a large stash of multiple types of illegal drugs.

The seizure from the Boca Del Rio residence included 1,312 grams of suspected cannabis, 21 grams of suspected cocaine, and 28 grams of suspected crack cocaine. Facing three counts of possession with intent to supply each are 26-year-old Benedicto Bol, 26-year-old Horace Anthony Crawford, and 24-year-old Bridgette Alcocer, all local San Pedro residents.

This report is adapted from a transcript of an evening television newscast originally published online.

In a shocking development that has drawn public attention across Belize, a serving Coast Guard officer and a second suspect have been taken into custody following a brazen armed vehicle theft that unfolded in Hattieville Village on the evening of Thursday, August 21, 2026 (reported publicly on August 24, 2026).

Official police accounts confirm that shortly before 8 p.m. that night, two masked men — one armed with a loaded firearm — forced their way into the private residence of the individual who had possession of the vehicle targeted in the heist. The armed intruders threatened the resident and demanded the keys to a brand-new 2026 black Wingle pickup truck, a vehicle that subsequent reporting confirms is formally registered as property of the Belize Coast Guard. Left with no viable option to resist the armed threat, the resident complied with the attackers’ demands, and the pair immediately fled the scene in the stolen pickup.

Law enforcement activated their standard response protocols immediately after receiving the emergency report of the invasion and theft, and the operation led to a successful interception less than two hours after the crime was committed. By approximately 9:45 p.m., a police operational team positioned in Santa Rosa, located in western Belize, located the stolen Wingle pickup. When officers moved to intercept the vehicle, a second vehicle carrying the suspects attempted to speed away from the scene, triggering a short vehicle pursuit through the local area before police were able to stop the car and take both suspects into custody.

The two arrested individuals have been identified as Sheffan Hemmans, a serving officer with the Belize Coast Guard, and Alberto Arriaza, a civilian suspect. In addition to the theft and invasion charges, a subsequent search of Hemmans following his arrest uncovered 50 live rounds of .22 LR ammunition in his possession. Assistant Superintendent Stacy Smith, a Staff Officer with the Belize Police Department, confirmed that Hemmans is facing an additional criminal charge of possession of ammunition without a valid firearms license.

The case marks an unusual incident for Belize’s law enforcement community, as it involves a serving uniformed officer being accused of participating in an armed home invasion and theft of a vehicle owned by the service he is employed by. Investigations into the incident are ongoing as authorities prepare to proceed with court proceedings against both suspects.

A rapid police investigation has led to the arrest of three Belize City residents just two days after an armed robbery at a local store in Independence Village, Stann Creek District. The incident, which unfolded shortly after 2 PM on Saturday, August 22, saw two masked men enter Wendy’s Store, with one suspect brandishing a loaded firearm to threaten the establishment’s owner. After demanding cash and high-value goods from the store, the pair fled the scene in a pre-arranged getaway vehicle that had been waiting nearby with a third accomplice.

Local law enforcement acted swiftly on the report filed immediately after the robbery, with investigators following actionable intelligence on the suspects’ identities and potential escape route. According to Assistant Superintendent Stacy Smith, Staff Officer for the department, police were able to intercept the suspects’ vehicle shortly after the crime and take all three men into custody without further incident. All three suspects have been formally charged with the felony crime of robbery; identified as 36-year-old Dorian Garnett, 35-year-old Krishna Flores, and 42-year-old Anthony Smith, all of Belize City. The three are being held in police custody ahead of an upcoming court hearing, and the investigation is ongoing to recover the stolen goods taken from the store.

This news story is adapted from a verbatim transcript of a televised evening news broadcast, with any Kriol language statements adjusted to follow standardized English spelling conventions for clarity.

In a shocking incident that unfolded in the quiet rural landscapes of Belize in the early hours of Saturday morning, an 80-year-old local clergyman has become the victim of a brutal aggravated home invasion carried out by four armed men.

According to official statements from Belizean law enforcement, the victim, identified as Pastor Dennis Slusher, was resting asleep at his private residence between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. when he was roused by insistent, loud banging on his front entryway. When Slusher approached the door to investigate, he was met with shouts claiming the people outside were police officers demanding entry. Before he could verify the claim, the intruders forcibly breached the property’s back door, allowing all four men to swarm into the home.

Two of the four attackers were carrying loaded firearms during the incident, escalating the violence of the break-in. Court documents and police accounts confirm that one of the intruders struck Slusher on the side of his head before holding him at gunpoint and demanding the keys to his two personal vehicles. After securing the keys, the suspects stole both vehicles: a 2024 grey Toyota Hilux and a 2016 grey Toyota Land Cruiser. Additional personal property, including multiple mobile phones and an assortment of smaller personal items, were also taken by the group before they fled the scene in the two stolen vehicles.

Local law enforcement officials have launched an ongoing investigation into the attack, and have issued a public appeal for community assistance. Authorities are asking residents across Belize to remain alert for any sightings of the two stolen vehicles, and to contact police immediately with any information that could help track down the suspects or recover the stolen property.

In an unexpected development that has complicated the case, reports confirm that Pastor Slusher has stated he does not wish the incident to proceed as a formal criminal investigation. The reasons behind this decision have not been disclosed publicly as of yet. This news report is a direct transcript of an evening television broadcast, with Kriol language statements reproduced using a standardized spelling system for accuracy.